After a 1-0 loss to Effingham County March 22, the Lady Blue Devils seem to have found their rhythm towards the end of the season.
    In the regular-season finale against crosstown foes Southeast Bulloch, the Lady Devils (9-6, 5-3 Region 3-AAAAA) pulled out a 2-0 victory in front of the home crowd on senior night, Thursday.
    The win marked the second consecutive victory for the Lady Blue Devils.
    “It feels great. Our defense played great,” SHS girls soccer coach Brian Thomas said. “We’re coming together. It was a disappointing loss [to Effingham County], but the girls are really playing together. They just showed character, resilience and fortitude. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, especially our seniors.”
    The Blue Devils core group of seniors had a solid game against the Lady Yellow Jackets.  After a stalemate in the first half, SHS broke through at the 24:37 mark in the second half on a Smith Kaiser goal. Kaiser received a corner kick pass from senior Mika De Asis.
    Just a few moments later, De Asis would put her mark on the game by scoring on a header with the assist from fellow senior Alexis Costlow.
    “The two goals that we scored were really quality. The first goal we scored was off a quality corner kick and the second goal, with Alexis Costlow serving the ball in from 40 yards out, and Mika getting on the end of that is a difficult skill to master,” Thomas said.
    Shutting a team out like Southeast Bulloch (10-3, 7-1 Region 1-AAA) wasn’t an easy task. The Lady Yellow Jackets are averaging five goals per game. The loss is just the second time SEB has been shutout all season.
    The Lady Blue Devils defensive game plan — stop SEB leading scorer Cole Robertson.
    “We had our hands full with several of their players. Cole Robertson is an outstanding player and presented problems for us. Defensively, we just tried to keep numbers around her and try to limit her and contain her,” Thomas said. “When we were in possession, we really created a lot of good chances. Our seniors are an amazing group of kids and I’m just happy I got to coach them.”
    SHS won the possession battle, and goalkeeper Rachel Wiggins held onto the shutout with a few quality saves late in the game.
    For the Lady Blue Devils, SHS finished with the No. 3 seed in the region. Coach Thomas said his team will likely face Camden County in the region playoffs.
    The Lady Yellow Jackets season isn’t over. Southeast Bulloch finishes their year with region matchups against Savannah Arts Academy and Islands.